Procurement Services and Accounts Payable Services authorize limited authority to faculty and staff to acquire routine products and services without the use of a standard purchase order (PO), generated by a purchase requisition. Requesters must obtain all necessary approvals for the purchase from a cost center signatory. The approvals must be included with either of the two allowed methods of payment when purchasing without a purchase order: procurement card (p-card) or check request.
Procurement card purchases are subject to restrictions that apply per the Procurement Card/Declining Balance card manual. Inquiries should be made to Procurement Services when employees are uncertain if a purchase qualifies under this procedure.
Without a purchase order, either the p-card or the check request form must be used to pay vendors if all of the following requirements are met: a single expenditure must be $2,500 or less, related expenditures/payments cannot exceed $5,000 per year (i.e., quarterly subscription payments, monthly fees) and there’s no requirement for a two-party signed agreement. Expenditures may be for any goods or services that meet these requirements.
Business expense reimbursements are submitted on the check request form if the above requirements are met AND the p-card or requisition could not be used, subject to the policy. (Reimbursable Business Expense Procedure 4-14).
Any purchase not fitting the above requirements must be submitted on a purchase requisition and follow University Procurement Policy and the Illinois Procurement Code.
